Friday, December 04, 2009

An open letter to provide basic amenities to preserve the culturally enrich people and develop Raup as sanskriti gaon (Cultural Village) to preserve the culture.

To,

Prime Minister,

Government of India

New Delhi.

Subject: an open letter to provide basic amenities to preserve the culturally enrich people and develop Raup as sanskriti gaon (Cultural Village) to preserve the culture.

Sir,

Greetings from PVCHR.

The Ghasia's tribal and the great artiest of Karma from Sonbhadra of India dine with Mr. Rajiv Gandhi former Prime Minister of India and later with various political leaders. They perform their art in various part of country and did theatrical performances on stage, radio and television.

Please see the above invitation to Mrs. Rukhmaniya of Ghasia's tribal ghetto to have lunch with Prime Minister of India and Srimati Soniya Gandhi at Teen Murti Bhawan, New Delhi on 24th November, 09.

Tear jerking and shocking reality for them as the culturally enrich indigenous people lost the life of 18 children in few months after consuming wild and poisonous grasses like "Chakwar"(botanical name not known), wild mushrooms and extremely poor quality of rice. The adults some how manage to survive the ill effects of the poisonous intake but the little children are unable to tolerate the poison and succumb to death due to the worst impact of police torture. Phool Chand, a Ghasia tribes recalled the incidence after his migration that, "In 2001 some policemen asked me to arrange two girls to satiate their carnal desire. When I showed my inability to fulfill their desire, they thrashed me so hard that my bone broke. All the men and women were beaten mercilessly by the people in Khakhi."

Not only Phool Chand but the entire group of over 55 families has to face ire of the police. Hanshu, another youth of the group showed his deformed leg and said "he has know become dependent on others for the rest of his life. We would not afford to get expensive medical treatment. He added,"a number of people were living with deformed limb due to police atrocities."

On 27th August, 03 Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, Convener of PVCHR sent petition to National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). On 29th October, 09 NHRC forwarded the petition case no. 21997/24/2003-2004/FC to Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow stating "if the allegations are true the matter required urgent attention by the authorities". After the NHRC's intervention the district administration distributed food grain to the affected families for their survival and issued red card to them.

PVCHR supported the Ghasia's tribals with the help of the individual donor as Ms. Parul Sharma of Sweden and funding organizations as DIG, In-Went and Misereor. In 2006-2007 4 rickshaws and 100 goats were distributed for their livelihood and musical items and construct play ground and also distributed school bags and stationary to adjoin Ghasia's children with the education.

The 72 families' ghasia's are marginalized from land, water, electricity, and health and school system as internally displaced person. Several times they protested in front of district head quarter, Sonbhadra for their basic amenities. Even after several months of inauguration school has not being activated in the community center (Sushil Tripathi School and community center) by the administration.

District Magistrate of Sonbhadra, Mr. Pandhari Yadav inaugurated the school on 16th February, 09 and on same day it was officially handed over to district administration. In his speech D.M address education is the fundamental rights and he also emphasis on the appointment of teachers in the remote area. He also appealed ghasia's to avail the Government beneficiary program. But one villager said "we are not getting all the benefit of the Government facilities"

On 10th December, 09 Ms. Shruti Nagvanshi, Core Group Member, PVCHR wrote letter to District Magistrate of Sonbhadra and again on 15th December, 09 to Basic Siksha Adhikari (BSA) Sonbhadra and Secretary Education Lucknow.

Ghasia's decided to erect Martyrdom stone in the memory of those martyrs against hunger together with PVCHR. Mr. Basil Fernando, Executive Director of Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and a child poet inaugurated the martyrdom stone on 20th January 2007 at Raup Village of Sonbhadra.

The protest monument of martyrs

The Ghasia pledged at martyrs' monument that in future this incidence will not occur- labour being their rights- they would work hard and make the area hunger free zone. However without schools, health services and employment today, 43 children are malnourished, women are suffering from anemia (lack of blood) highlighted by BBC and even covered by the various media. Please see the given below URL:

Therefore it is kind requests kindly fulfill the given below demands to prevent further hunger death:

1.The allotment of land on the name of Ghasia tribes under 122 (4 BF) of Zamindari Abolition Act and Land Reform Act. The ghasia tribal are living on this land since 2000. District Magistrate of Sonbhadra district gave interview in NDTV the land belongs to the Forest Department (FD) http://www.ndtv.com/news/videos/video_player.php?id=1173492but SDM responded in the RTI shows the land belong to the playground and it is already constructed in another place. Please see the given below URL of the answer given by SDM of Sonbhadra district on the RTI to Mr. Mahesh. http://www.scribd.com/doc/23652504/Response-by-SDM-on-RTI

2.Immediate run school in Sushil Tripathi School and community center to educate children of 72 families and provide Mid Day Meal to prevent hunger and Malnutrition.

3.To activate ICDS centre.

4.High level investigation of the police beating by independent agnecy.

5.To include the name of ghasias as voters in the panchayat election. They receive voter ID card after intervention of Chief Election Commissioner of India.

6.To develop Raup as a Sankriti Gaon (cultural village) to preserve and promotion of culture and link with the livelihood.

My final words of advice to you are educate, agitate and organize; have faith in yourself. With justice on our side I do not see how we can loose our battle.. The battle to me is a matter of joy. The battle is in the fullest sense spiritual. There is nothing material or social in it. For ours is a battle not for wealth or for power. It is battle for freedom. It is the battle of reclamation of human personality…. Dr. B.R.Ambedkar"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality." (Desmond Tutu)

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